BAKERSFIELD, Calif.(KBAK/KBFX) — Millions are expected to hit the roads for Thanksgiving, with AAA forecasting over 73 million drivers. According to AAA, the best travel times are Tuesday and Wednesday before noon, with lighter traffic expected on Thanksgiving Day.
AAA said holiday travel is expected to pick up on the I-5. (KBAK/KBFX){ }
To ensure safety, the California Highway Patrol will initiate a holiday enforcement period from Nov. 26 at 6 p.m. to Nov. 30 at 11:59 p.m. During that time frame, all available officers will be out on patrol to monitor and assist the public. Officer Jorge Toro stated it was about “Enforcing our DUI and other primary crash factors like speed, distracted driving, unsafe turning and reckless driving.”
The Bakersfield Police Department will conduct a DUI checkpoint on Nov. 21 between 6:30 p.m. and 2 a.m. Lt. Joseph Galland emphasized, “We remind people that we’re out there and that we’re looking for DUI drivers.”
FILE- DUI checkpoint (Photo: KBAK/KBFX)
MADD National Ambassador Tara Repka Flores highlighted the dangers of impaired driving, noting, “Numbers that we have from 2023 say that 174 people were killed during the Thanksgiving weekend in 2023.”
Flores, who lost her 13-year-old son to a drunk driver in 2019, urged, “We each have to take responsibility for our own actions, make a commitment to driving sober.”
Expect delays on Highway 99 in both directions in Bakersfield on Tuesday morning after several crashes amid heavy rain. PHOTO: KBAK/KBFX
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Recent storms in California have led to multiple crashes, with 25 reported in Bakersfield last Saturday. Officer Toro advised drivers to check their vehicles and slow down, saying, “People are going too fast, so they lose control of their vehicles.” Flores added, “Take a minute. Make a plan. Don’t drive when you’re impaired. You could save a life.”